Nothin' but Net: White problem offers no easy solution

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Sometimes, a conflict can have
understandable points on both sides. Smart, well-meaning people can disagree
on something, and there just may not be a right answer, or a wrong one.

The Royce White/Houston Rockets brewing battle may fall into that category.

White was taken 16th overall by the Rockets in this past NBA Draft. He suffers
from an anxiety disorder and has spent much of the season on the inactive
list. White doesn't feel the Rockets have adequately addressed his mental
health needs.

The latest setback in this standoff came on Sunday when White refused an
assignment to the Rockets' D-League affiliate.

"I do wish to play, but I only intend to do so with the collaboration and
recommendation of trained professionals," White said in part of his statement.
"The purpose of a doctor's confirmation is to ensure that health decisions are
made in the sole interest of health and not conflicted with business. My only
hope is that decision makers involved realize that doctors are the only
logical source to decide action."

That seems to cut right to the heart of the argument: are you on the side of
what's right for the individual, or what's right for the business?

It's easy to say at first glance, "how could you not side with a player with a
serious mental issue?" It's a hard point to argue against. White has to do
what's best for him

And let's be clear, unless you've been afflicted with mental illness, you
don't know what White is going through. This is a young man with a serious
medical issue he's trying to manage.

This is not an issue of an athlete being soft. Mental illness is not something
easily understood in the world. It's even less understood in the world of
athletics, where machismo is still the norm.

White has been up front from day one about his battle. He's a man trying to
get the best treatment for his sickness. White is a huge presence on Twitter,
relaying his struggles, both with his anxiety, and his frustration with the
Rockets. There's a nobility to that. He seems to want to be an advocate for
mental illness. Again, that's not a desirable position in professional sports,
but he embraces the role.

But White's candor with his frustration at the organization is potentially a
cause for problems.

"There is an admitted lack of knowledge on behalf of the Rockets and the NBA,
it becomes transparent as they choose to forego the knowledge of trained
professionals and make independent decisions for something as complex as
mental health without consulting any doctors," White said in his released
statement on Sunday. "The Rockets have told me in recent conversations that it
is their right to decline even their own doctors' recommendations. The concept
of not listening to medical consultants in medical situations is alarming. It
is also alarming that a player is susceptible to fines for simply adhering to
the recommendation of doctors."

There are very few companies in the workforce that would take kindly to
criticism, let alone that public a criticism. The Rockets have been patient to
their credit and the party line has been to not comment on White's status
other than a generic, "he's not part of the team right now."

White went even further on Sunday.

"An image of support has been presented by the Rockets, but the only logical
support here would be listening to the recommendation of the medical
professionals involved," he said. "That has not totally happened here. I have
chosen to not play, because the doctors and I believe it to be unsafe for
unqualified Rockets front office personnel to make medical decisions, as they
are not mental health professionals."

Again, that's a fair point, but where's the breaking point for the Rockets?

Taken 16th, there's some expectation for White's success. Granted, it's not
like the Rockets are banking on White as a cornerstone for the franchise's
growth, but No. 16 is not a draft slot where you can jettison the player 30
games into the first season.

Nikola Vucevic was the 16th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He's contributing
pretty solidly for the Orlando Magic. Marreese Speights and Nick Young were
recent No. 16 picks and they're both professional bench assets.

Hedo Turkoglu was taken 16th. He's had a great NBA career. In 1999, the
Chicago Bulls selected Ron Artest 16th, and now, Metta World Peace is a major
piece of a team that has realistic championship aspirations.

John Stockton went No. 16 in the 1984 Draft. He's in the Hall of Fame.

Yet, for all of those names, there are Rodney Carney, Joey Graham, Kirk Snyder
and Troy Bell. That quartet went in that pick from 2003-06. All four are out
of the NBA.

The point is, White was no lock to make a huge impact, so there's wiggle room
for the Rockets if he doesn't pan out.

Houston signed White to a contract worth over $1 million a season. That's a
sizable enough commitment that GM Daryl Morey can expect more than what he's
gotten from White in a strict basketball sense.

According to reports, the Rockets aren't willing to give up on White yet. They
shouldn't. There has to be something that can be worked out here.

But it will take compromise. The Rockets clearly aren't meeting the treatment
needs of White. If they believe he is worth it, they should acquiesce to
White's needs.

On White's end, he doesn't need to do anything unless he is prepared to. But
he also has to be prepared to see the business end of it from the Rockets'
perspective. The hammer could fall and White could be out of the Houston
organization.

(Free advice to White would be to take the D-League assignment. Less travel --
flying is an issue -- and less media presence could increase comfort level.)

White has a right to seek employment and treatment. At some point though,
maybe he'll have to ponder the reality that the NBA is not the best avenue for
him to pursue.